Apple Tops Clean Energy Goal with New Supplier Commitments

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 11, 2019--
Apple® today announced it has nearly doubled the number of suppliers
that have committed to run their Apple production on 100 percent clean
energy, bringing the total number to 44. Because of this partnership
between Apple and its suppliers, Apple will exceed its goal of bringing
4 gigawatts of renewable energy into its supply chain by
2020, with over an additional gigawatt projected within that
timeframe. This comes one year after Apple announced that all of its
global facilities are powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

Last year, Apple and its suppliers participated in clean energy generation that roughly equaled the electricity needed to power over 600,000 homes in the US. (Graphic: Business Wire)

“Every time one of our suppliers joins us in our efforts to address
climate change, we move closer to a better future for the next
generation,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment,
Policy and Social Initiatives. “We’ve made it a priority to hold our
suppliers accountable to the same environmental standards we observe and
hope that our collaboration will show others what is possible. While we
are proud of our announcement today, we won’t stop driving change within
our industry to support the clean energy transition happening globally.”

Apple reduced its comprehensive carbon footprint for the third year in a
row in 2018, in large part due to the company’s Supplier Clean Energy
Program. Manufacturing makes up 74 percent of Apple’s carbon footprint,
so the program helps its suppliers increase energy efficiency and
transition to renewable energy sources. Just last year, Apple and its
suppliers participated in clean energy generation that roughly equaled
the electricity needed to power over 600,000 homes in the US.

Apple has further expanded its supplier education and support
initiatives, including through its Clean Energy Portal, an online
platform to help suppliers identify renewable energy sources globally.
Over 100 suppliers have already registered to participate in the site.
It also launched a first-of-its-kind fund with 10 of its suppliers last
year to help finance renewable energy projects in China.

The company also announced major progress to address environmental
solutions by allocating all $2.5 billion in green bonds it
previously announced, the largest of any US corporation. Through
its now-completed $2.5 billion Green Bond allocations, the company has
contributed to 40 environmental initiatives around the world. That
includes projects Apple has created to cover its entire electricity load
— as of January 2019, approximately 66 percent of the renewable energy
Apple uses comes from such endeavors.

Apple’s Green Bonds are also notable for the number of areas of
environmental research and innovation they support. Projects
include solar rooftops in Japan, an aquifer to conserve water in Oregon
and the creation of a custom alloy made of 100 percent recycled
aluminum that is now found in the newest MacBook Air® and Mac mini®.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the
Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with
iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s four software
platforms — iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — provide seamless experiences
across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services
including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s more
than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on
earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.